12th Sep 2007, 14:29
Hi, I wrote the post reply on the 28th.
I can't help, but wonder if you actually test drove your Volvo before buying it??
When you say the way the power was delivered wasn't pleasing, what do you mean?
I think when all is said and done, if you buy a 1500kg car with front wheel drive and a 2.3 turbo charged engine, you have to accept that it is never going to handle like a Peugeot 205.
Having owned the 2.5GLT (non turbo) and a 2.3 T5 turbo, I can confirm they DO drive differently and the T5 is a better drive, but ultimately it is not a sports car, but it is a FAST family saloon car.
Maybe the marketing is a bit of a con, but then surely all marketing is?
Having owned / driven other large performance cars (such as Granada Cosworth, Omega 3.0 V6, Mondeo 2.5 24c), I would have to say I think the Volvo is just as pleasing to drive, if not more so, especially on a motorway or fast A-road where you can maximize the 60-100mph performance.
13th Sep 2007, 13:24
Hello again to the person above.
Of COURSE I test drove it before buying, but you cannot really tell that much from a half hour test drive, especially if you have not driven one before and you have the salesman along with you!
To answer your next question about what I didn't like about the power delivery, can I direct you to my reply above. It is the one from 8th Sept, just beneath my last reply to you (it was in reply to someone else who put a comment on 29th August, but it answers that question in detail).
I take your point about marketing, but I still feel very strongly that my car had a pretty poor chassis and could not handle it's power. Perhaps I just drive more 'enthusiastically' than your good self.
As I've said before, I get that it is a big heavy car and will not be as agile as a smaller lighter one. I've not driven the Granada or Omega that you mention, but I have driven a couple of Mondeo's, and I'm amazed you think the Volvo handled as well as that - nowhere near in my humble opinion. Did your T5 have the optional sports suspension upgrade?
I also have driven some other big cars that are as heavy or heavier than my S70, most notably the 5 Series BMW, which had a superb chassis, so it can be done.
We obviously have had different experiences, you have found your Volvo's to be to your satisfaction, great, my ownership experience was too much of a let-down for me to risk my hard-earned on another.
I wrote my original review (not this one, by the way) when I sold the car in 2003, and added one comment to this review and I am still replying to comments 4 years later!!
I love a good debate, but I will always stand by what I have said all along, which has been no more than a reporting of my own experience and my disappointments with the car. Continue to enjoy yours!!
25th May 2012, 07:19
I drive my S70 T5 turbo each year to Greece.
When I can give the car some punch, it goes like any sports car..
Police used this as a means of catching the high performance cars like the BMWs.
When I drive through Germany and I need some power, I hit the S button and leave the said car in my dust.
I am confident to leave most of the flash drivers in their flash cars behind.
I was behind a lorry going up hill at 30 MPH. I hit the pedal and found the car was doing wheel spins as I overtook.
I find the power enough for a 60 year old man to cope with.
The most powerful car I drove before was the Jaguar XJ12.
I admit it would be a close race, but I know my heavy looking Volvo would win; at 158 MPH and still going before I lost my bottle.
Now I have a sick car, and it will cost me 500 euros to put right.
Tax and insurance is very high, and it's high maintenance.
But worth every penny to have this sort of power in abundance.
Not only do you have a car that does what is says on the tin, you have all the safety, and you can drive with confidence.
I feel the car around me, and complete control.
So T5 drivers, if you agree, let me know.
Regards, Jeff.
11th Sep 2007, 11:08
Fine if you are happy with yours, as I'm sure others are, but it was the first (and last) Volvo I owned, and I found mine disappointing.
I went for the T5 specifically because I wanted the power and anticipated extra ability in terms of handling over, say a 2.4T.
Coming from owning sharp engined and sharp handling cars, I found it a let-down and mine was unreliable as well.
Great if yours has been OK and it suits you - that's what matters. But my own experience was poor and the car did not match my expectations.
I am the writer of some of the comments above (going into detail about exactly why).
This actual review is not my own. My own review of my own car is in the 1999 section called 'An Expensive Disappointment' and that has also attracted a number of comments to which I've also responded!